Remnant's Freelancers: Restored
by Stinger909XL
Summary: One year since they beat Wyoming, Maine and Torchwick, the Freelancers have settled down in Bluelyn. But a new trouble arises, and it's determined to rid the world of the armour wearing soldiers.
1. Chapter 1

**Remnant's Freelancers: Restored**

* * *

 **Hello, and welcome. To the sequel of Remnant's Freelancers. I'm not sure how long it'll be, or how often it'll be updated, but I've kinda got a story already planned out. But it's kinda like the scaffolding is there, and then you haven't got the blueprints for the actual building, so you kinda just go _'whululululu'_ and build the best building you can with the mental image you have. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 **1 Year since Remnant's Freelancers:**

* * *

"Data Logging complete, would you like me to upload it to the storage unit, Ruby?" The miniature green, holographic armoured man asked the scythe-wielder, who nodded.

"That'd be great Delta, thanks." Ruby replied, and Delta disappeared, leaving Ruby alone in the Freelancer Headquarters. After a few seconds, the green AI reappeared, and Ruby smiled. "You're done already?" She questioned, and the AI fragment made a minuscule nod.

"Yes, Ruby. The data has been uploaded to the main storage unit." The fragment answered, and Ruby stood up. "I assume you are returning to your school?" Delta asked, and Ruby laughs.

"Yep. Summer Holidays are almost over, so I've gotta get back over there. It's been fun working with you guys though. So I'll try to help you as much as possible, when I can that is." Ruby tells him, a small grin on her face. "Did ya' know that 'Lina has taken up a class at Beacon?" Ruby questioned, and Delta stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Yes. Hand-to-hand Combat, am I correct?" The green AI replied, and Ruby's head nodded again. Ruby took a few long strides and pushed open the house's front door, stopping there. "I am sure you will return soon?" Delta asked her at the door, but she shrugged.

"I don't know, bu-. Wait, are you getting lonely?" Ruby asked playfully, but only got a standard, emotionless reply.

"Loneliness is not something that is within my capabilities, Ruby." Delta answered, Ruby chuckled and slowly closed the door.

"Ya' know, sometimes I'm not so sure that's true. G'bye Delta." She said, and walked away from the house. Delta watched her as she left, and returned to the inside of the building swiftly. He looked out of the top floor's window, his armoured holographic hand placed against the glass.

"Sometimes, I am not so sure myself." He said, a dejected tone in his voice as he continued to stare out at the world.

* * *

Ruby strolled down the smooth stone pathway, and into the Beacon's main building ahead of her. Taking a few minutes to reach her dorm room, she pushed open the door, yawning as she stretched her arms out wide. She noticed a yellow mound on one of the top bunks, and smiled lightly.

"Hey Yang." Ruby greeted her older sister, who's body instantly shot up.

"Heeey Ruuuby..." Yang extended her words, and threw herself off of her bunk. "Sooo..." She sand, and wrapped one of her arms over Ruby's shoulder. "Where've you been for these past _six weeks_." Yang emphasised, causing Ruby to squeak at her realisation.

"Uh..." Ruby started, taking a small step back. "I was... Helping the... Freelancers?" Ruby said questioningly, her eyes wide with fear. Yang looked at her with raised eyebrows, and Ruby huffed in defeat. " _OK_. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving to help them. Better?" Ruby said, and Yang nodded with a large smile.

"Yep. So much better. Anyway, what'd you do?" Yang asked happily, and Ruby thought back.

"I helped with a few, uh... Operations, as they called them. And I helped them set up their base." Ruby informed Yang, who nodded slowly as she took in the information. "Hey, where are Weiss and Blake?" Ruby questioned, and Yang shrugged.

"I dun'know. I guess Weiss is studying, somewhere... And Blake may be in the... Library?" Yang answered doubtfully, before shrugging again. "Yeah, I haven't a clue." Yang finished, and climbed back onto her bed. "Anyway, I'm kinda tired, so I'ma take a nap now. G'night Ruby." Yang said, and her body quickly slumped in her bed, and Ruby chuckled at the sight.

"Yeah. _Night_ Yang." The brunette said, and left the dorm room, pulling the door shut gently.

* * *

 **And that, is Chapter One, I hope you enjoyed it. It was kinda my brain reintroducing itself to the storyline of this universe, so that's why it's so short. Anyway, remember that Constructive Criticism is always useful, Reviews are welcomed, and keep moving forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Remnant's Freelancer's: Restored**

* * *

 **Hey there. This is Chapter Two. Not really got too much to say here, so, I'll get on with it!**

* * *

Ruby closed the door gently, and began walking down the hallway, heading towards the school canteen. After a few minutes, she walked into the large room, and quickly directed herself over to a table after selecting her food. She walked past her white-haired friend, and spoke up as she did.

"Afternoon, Weiss." She greeted the heiress, before walking further down the tables. Weiss looked over her shoulder before replying.

"Good afternoon, Ruby..." Weiss said, trailing off towards the end of her sentence. "Wait, Ruby!" Weiss called to her leader, and stood up from her seat before following the brunette, marching up behind her. " **RUBY ROSE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!** " Weiss shouted, and Ruby stopped in her tracks, and turned on the spot to face her partner.

"Ugh..." The red-clad girl sighed deeply, and took a deep breath.

"Tell me, Rose." Weiss demanding, pointing at Ruby angrily, and the brunette laughed nervously.

"I was in Bluelyn, helping out the Freelancers." Ruby told Weiss, and the white-haired girl shook her head.

"I cannot believe you _wouldn't_ tell your team about this." Weiss sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, and Ruby shrugged nonchalantly.

"Meh, I forgot to tell you guys. I said sorry to Yang, if that helps?" Ruby informed Weiss, who chuckled at the other girl.

"You _better_ be happy that I was the last person in here, Ruby." The heiress grinned at Ruby, and walked out of the canteen quietly.

* * *

A small buzz sounded, almost unnoticeable through the noise of East Vale's never-stopping factories. Holding his scroll to his ear, a masked man sighed.

"What." He growled, and a cough sounded from the other side. "Spit it out." The man said angrily, and a voice spoke from the other side.

"Right, right. Anyway, this is a Dust-Cutting factory, there's bound to be huge amount of dust stored here. They _will_ be volatile, so watch for that. Take whatever looks like it'll sell well, then... Then just get back to me. And _silence_ anyone who looks like they'll speak out. I'm sure you understand." The voice finished, and the masked man nodded, before looking at three more men to his left.

"Right. We're on it." He said, and unsheathed a large broadsword. "Alright, let's get this done."

* * *

Wash flicked through the TV channels, and stopped on the generic _'Breaking News'_ channel. He sighed, and leant back in the sofa he was sat on.

"Yesterday, a dust factory in the Industrial Sector of the City of Vale was broken into. The men were armed, and stole four million liens worth of dust, and two million more lien in notes. The robbers were noticeably affiliated with the gang-group _'The Children of Onyx'_ , who have recently been involved in several major crimes against multiple large companies. On the other hand, the match betwe-." Wash cut off the TV, groaning as he stood up.

"Hey guys." He called to the other Freelancers. "That gang we ran into a year-or-so back is stirring up some shit... Again!" He told them, and several heavy thuds could be heard heading the wooden stairs. York burst through the door, wearing all of his armour and his weapon attached to his back.

"I'm ready to kick some ass, and take some names!" York cried, his words slurred as he staggered in through the doorway.

"York, are you drunk?" Carolina questioned as she walked into the room from behind him, a small grin on her face.

"I may be a _little_ tipsy... So what?" He said, and Carolina only chuckled in response.

"Whatever, York." She replied, and pulled a Scroll from her pocket, and dialled the two remaining Freelancers, the twins. "You two." She spoke to the device. "Get down here now, I want all hands on deck." Carolina ordered over the call, and more thuds could be easily heard from the stairs.

"I'm gonna beat you, brother!" South's voice shouted from the staircase, and got a quick reply.

"Not today, sister!" North responded, and the two came through the door. North sliding along the floor, South sitting on top of his back.

"They're going to kill each other..." Wash said, watching the two closely as they slid further across the floor, and they reached a stop.

"Uh... My everything hurts..." North groaned from the floor, and South threw herself off of him.

"So... I guess I win." She told him jokingly, her eyebrows raised at him.

"Yeah sure. So long as you don't turn me into the human magic carpet again, I'm fine with it." North replied as he stood up, brushing his hands on his shorts.

"Sometimes, I think Wash and I are the only sane ones in this building." Carolina laughed at the two siblings, and Epsilon appeared next to Wash before speaking up.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that." He said, pointing at Wash with his holographic hands.

"Hey!" Wash said, his hands in the air. "I'm not _insane_. Not yet, at least." Wash replied, and he crossed his arms.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. That remains to be proven." Epsilon finished, and disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared to start with. Wash sighed, shaking his head slowly.

"OK. Delta, take it away." Carolina said, and the green AI appeared in the middle of the group.

"Of course. Recently, the Children of Onyx have broken into six different places, all over Vale. Two took place in the City of Vale's Industrial Sector, well known for cutting dust crystals, and producing dust powder. I presume that they have been both; Selling that dust; and also using it to power their devices. What Agent Carolina and I have planned is this." The AI told the Freelancers, and a holographic map appeared in front of them. "I have managed to narrow down the location of their headquarters down to a building located on this street. I need two of you to find one of their members and follow them. Once you pinpoint their bases location, Carolina and I will devise our plan of attack." Delta told them. York laughed, unsheathing his weapon.

"Come on!" He slurred happily, with a grin hidden under his helmet. "Let's go get 'em!" He cried, but Carolina shook her head at him.

"York, you're drunk. Go to bed." She ordered, and he looked at her as if he had been offended. "York. Bed. Now." She ordered, and the tan-coloured Freelancer headed slowly up the stairs, and a door slammed shut. "OK. Anyone want to go and _'scout it out'_?" Carolina asked, and the three remaining Freelancers shrugged, causing the aqua-coloured Freelancer to sigh. "Alright. Wash, you and I are going, we leave at 0500 tomorrow morning. Now, go do whatever you were doing before, I'm going to talk to York." Carolina said, and dashed up the stairs after York.

"So." Wash said, looking at the twins. "Anything you wanna do or..." The steel-coloured Freelancer trailed off as North and South ran back up the stairs, to their respective rooms. "No, whatever, don't mind me. I'll just stay here, and watch the goddamn news or whatever..." Wash grumbled, and switched the TV back on.

* * *

 **Chapter Two over and done. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, not that very much happened. So, remember that Constructive Criticism is always useful, Review are welcomed, and keep moving forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Remnant's Freelancer's: Restored**

* * *

Ruby pulled out her timetable, and half-grinned and half-groaned when she was what lesson she had to start off the day.

"Ugh..." She groaned, and Yang stood next to her, her blonde hair a mess.

"What's wrong, Rubes?" Yang asked, and Ruby sighed.

"We have Hand-to-Hand combat for first lesson." Ruby told her, but Yang's eyes lit up.

"Hand-to-Hand combat?" Yang questioned, and Ruby nodded slowly. "Yeah, finally something I'll ace at this school!" Yang cheered, and Ruby shook her head.

"But Yang, the teacher i-" Ruby began, but was cut off by a new voice entering the conversation.

"What's all this commotion about? It's only six thirty in the morning!" Weiss demanded, and Ruby clamped her mouth shut.

"Ruby just told me about a new class we have this year." Yang replied, a large grin on her face as she looked at Weiss. "And I'm gonna ace it." Yang said proudly, crossing her arms confidently.

"And what class would that be, Ruby?" Weiss asked, and Ruby sighed again.

"It's called Hand-to-Hand combat, and the teacher i-" She told Weiss, and Weiss' eyes widened.

"Hand-to-Hand combat! Oh no..." Weiss groaned, and Ruby groaned with her.

"What's all this noise about, I can hear you with the shower on in the bathroom..." Blake yawned as she walked over to them, her hair still dripping with water. Ruby groaned with frustration,

"Ruby just told us about a new class, which is Hand-to-Hand combat." Weiss informed Blake, who shrugged.

"Why're you so worried. It can't be _too_ hard." Blake told, who nodded in response.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Weiss replied, and headed back over to her bed, and quickly got dressed into her uniform, ready for the day ahead of them.

* * *

 **Two Days before:**

Wash stepped out of the building, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt, with his blonde hair spiked up. He put his hands into his pockets, and leaned back against the wall, waiting for Carolina. Suddenly, his Scroll began to vibrate, and pulled out of his pocket and spoke up.

"Hello?" He asked, and Carolina's voice came from the other side of the call.

"Wash, where are you?" She questioned, and Wash's look of boredom transitioned to that of confusion.

"I'm outside the house, waiting for you to hurry your ass up." Wash replied, and heard a sigh come from Carolina.

"I'm already _there_ , Wash." Carolina informed him, and his eyes widened. "Hurry _your_ ass up, would you." Carolina joked, and the call ended, leaving Washington stunned. Placing his Scroll back into his pocket, he quickly began to jog, heading to his destination.

"God. Fucking. Dammit." He groaned as he ran, avoiding the other pedestrians that were walking on the pavement. "Sorry! Sorry!" He called out as he narrowly dodged another person, and he continued onwards.

* * *

Carolina was sat on a small bench, tapping her foot as she waited for Wash to arrive. A cry of _'God dammit! Sorry!'_ could be heard coming from the distance, and Carolina turned her head to Wash running down the path at full speed, before slowing down, and crashing to the floor at her feet.

"Good to see you too, Wash." Carolina said mockingly, reaching her hand down to help the blonde Freelancer to his feet. Wash grumbled as he took her hand and stood up, brushing the visible dirt off of his clothes.

"You know what..." He huffed, pointing at Carolina, who raised an eyebrow. "Fuck. You." He groaned, and took a seat next to her on the bench.

"So, you remember the plan, correct?" Carolina asked him, and Wash nodded.

"I have an AI fragment of _memory_. I may not be able to use it right now, but it still has an effect on me. I have a _good_ memory." Wash told her, and she shrugged before continuing.

"We observe, note down anything suspicious, and head back when we have enough information." Carolina told him, but Wash only rolled his eyes. "Good, keep your eyes open, I'm moving to observe." She said, and stood up, walking down the path.

"Alright, what have we got going on here..." Wash muttered, looking up and down the road, watching for any suspiciousness. After a few minutes he caught sight of a group of four, each one wearing black hoodies with dark red trims, other than one, who wore a similar black hoodie but with a dark green trim. "OK..." Wash murmured, and pulled out his scroll, calling Carolina. He watched as the four men entered a building near the end of the street.

"Wash? What is it?" Carolina questioned, and Wash stood up from the bench, slowly heading over to the building.

"I've seen four men, black hoodies, faces hidden, entered Site Zeta just over thirty seconds ago." Wash told her, and he heard footsteps heading down the path, and stopping next to him as the call ended.

"Good." Carolina said, a small grin on her face. "Let's get back to HQ, I'll plan our assault with Delta when we return." Carolina said, and the two Freelancers began to walk away.

* * *

 **Back to Present:**

Weiss strolled down the hallway, and heard footsteps plodding up from behind her. She looked over her shoulder, and saw Ruby beaming at her, causing the white-haired girl to laugh slightly.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby greeted cheerfully, and walked beside her partner, not losing the smile. "How was breakfast?" Ruby questioned, and Weiss smiled.

"It was nice, I guess." Weiss answered, but the darker-haired girl shook her head.

"What'd you have?" The red-clad student asked Weiss, and they turned a corner.

"I had my usual. One apple and a half, and a glass of water." The alabaster-haired girl informed Ruby, who's face held a small smile when she heard the answer. "Why do you ask?" She cross-questioned, and Ruby stopped instantly, remaining in thought for a few seconds.

"I don't know, really. I just wanted to ask you." Ruby replied, and took a few strides to catch up with her partner. "But hey. It's almost time for first class, so we should get moving. Come on!" Ruby said, and jogged ahead of Weiss, laughing quietly to herself.

* * *

 **In Chapter 4 of Remnants Freelancers: Restored**

 **"Wow. She's really giving the Professor a run for her money." Nora stated, and Jaune nodded slowly.**

 **"Yeah, but I wouldn't expect less from her, would you?" Blake commented, watching as the two fought each other, listening to the cheers for either of the combatants.**

* * *

 **Huh! What's that! A teaser for the next chapter! Impossible, he wouldn't do that. That would be completely _insane!_ But, why not! Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed Chapter 3 of Remnants Freelancers: Restored. And remember, Constructive Criticism is always useful, Reviews are welcomed, and Keep Moving Forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Remnant's Freelancers: Restored**

* * *

Ruby pushed open the door to the classroom, and saw that none of the other students had arrived. Weiss followed in behind her, but she froze when she saw who was stood in the middle of the room. The aqua-coloured Freelancer was stood with her helmet under her right arm, and her other hand hidden behind her back. Her red hair was tied back in a pony tail, and her face held a smirk when she saw the white-haired girl's reaction.

"Good morning, Miss Schnee." Carolina addressed Weiss formally, but her face still held it's grin. "If you would take a seat, your designated position is seat number two at row number one." The red-headed Freelancer informed the student, who rigidly made her way over to her seat. "Thank you for getting here on time, Miss Schnee. I hear it is one of your many qualities." Carolina grinned at the heiress, who said nothing in response as she sat down. Slowly, more students began to pour in through the door, until only two seats were left empty. Ruby sighed as she looked over at the two seats, that were next to Weiss.

"Sorry we're late Prof... Ess... Or..?" Yang apologised as her eyes widened, recognising the Freelancer instantaneously. Blake walked in from behind the blonde, and had similar, but less dramatic, reaction to who was teaching the class.

"Miss Belladonna, Miss Xiao Long. What time would you call this?" Carolina asked, but the two partners stayed silent. "Well, if you would proceed to your seats, I may not punish you _this once_." She told them sternly, placing her helmet on the ground. "Good." She said as the final two students took their seats with their teammates. "Now, we can begin." She spoke up, her voice holding a commanding tone. "I'm Professor Carolina. But you may _only_ call me Professor." The red-head informed them, and all of the students nodded in near complete unison. "OK. As this is the first lesson. I would like to evaluate all of you in your hand-to-hand combat. If you can hold against me for more than a minute, you are guaranteed an above-average grade." She notified the class, and Yang grinned. "Do I have any volunteers?" She asked, and Yang's hand shot straight into the air.

"I will, Professor!" Yang exclaimed, her face holding the wildest of expressions. Carolina smiled, and grabbed her helmet from the ground, and put it on.

"OK. Miss Xiao Long, if you would kindly step down to the combat area." The aqua-coloured Freelancer ordered, and Yang ran down, a large grin on her face. "Miss Nikos." Carolina spoke up again, as she readied herself for combat.

"Yes Professor?" Pyrrha replied, and Carolina looked over at the students.

"If you would please referee the matches." Carolina ordered her, and she nodded, and stared intently at the two.

"OK. Three, two, one. Begin." Pyrrha counted down, and Yang charged at Carolina, and the heated battle began. The two threw many punches and kicks at each other, each seemingly specialising in one, Carolina in kicks, and Yang in punches. Nora piped up, her cheerful voice speaking out from the crowd.

"Wow. She's really giving the Professor a run for her money." Nora stated, and Jaune nodded slowly.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't expect less from her, would you?" Blake commented, watching as the two fought each other, listening to the cheers for either of the combatants. Ruby watched nervously as Yang ducked and weaved through the steady fire of punches and kicks, now struggling to get her own attacks in. Carolina and Yang continued to fight each other for a few minutes, until a final kick from Carolina connected with Yang's right shoulder, and sent her barrelling over, crashing to the ground.

"How'd... How'd I do... Professor..?" Yang panted as she sat herself up on the floor, and Carolina extended out a hand, which Yang took. Carolina grinned as the blonde stood up, and pulled off her helmet. "Prof... Essor..?" Yang asked again, and Carolina looked up at the audience of students.

"I'd say..." Carolina trailed off, giving out a hum. "That you don't _really_ need lessons on this." She said, and smiled over at Yang, whose face also owned a large grin. Giving her teammates a quick thumbs up, she headed back up to her seat, and sat down. "OK. Who's next?" The Freelancer questioned, a certain menace in her voice. She slowly burnt through the remaining students, tearing through all but one, who was Pyrrha. The red-headed student lasted just over a minute, only firing off a few punches and kicks, primarily blocking her opponents attacks. "Well." Carolina stated, looked at Ruby, who was huffing as she lay on the floored, wiping sweat from her forehead. "I'd say that went extremely well." She said, and a ringing reverberated through the room, signifying the lesson ending. "And just in the nick of time." The aqua-coloured Freelancer muttered under her breath, and looked back up at the students. "Teams RWBY and JNPR, would you please stay with me here, otherwise you are all dismissed." Carolina informed the huntsman and huntresses in training, who rapidly stood up and left the room.

"What is it, Professor?" Jaune asked, as the two teams sat at their seats. Carolina grinned, and walked over to them.

"We need your help. All of you." She told them, and they began to look at each other. "The _'Children of Onyx'_ have caused a large amount of robberies recently, and we think that we've found their Vale HQ." The Freelancer informed the teams, and Ruby spoke up.

"What do we need to do?" She asked steadily.

* * *

York sat in the living room, his feet crossed over on the coffee table in front of him, and he felt the sofa sink when another body threw itself next to him.

"Morning North." York greeted the other Freelancer, who smiled at him, and placed his helmet on the table. "Theta still not good on his own?" The tan-coloured Freelancer asked, and North nodded as he yawned.

"You have no idea." The blonde man said, looked sadly at the purple helmet.

"It feels weird, you know." York said, and North looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Not having to wear the armour all the time, not training. Even after a year, it doesn't feel right." He spoke, and the other nodded.

"I know what you mean. And who ever thought we'd be friends with teenagers at _this_ age." North joked, and the two laughed.

"This.. Kinda feels like before Project Freelancer hit the shitter, ya' know. Before anyone _truly_ cared about the god damn leaderboard. It feels nice. Weird also, but nice too." York replied, shielding his eyes from the rays of sunlight that were pouring in from the windows "I... I kinda don't wanna go back. Just being able to laze around, even if it's only for a few days a week thanks to Carolina, is nice. Back there, we were training nearly everyday. Training to _break the law_ , and we didn't know it." He paused, and looked over at North again. "You think Tex was able to do it?" York continued, and North sighed, before replying.

"I don't know. I think if there was anyone capable of bringing down the Project, it's Tex. But we were her eyes and ears on the inside. Suddenly going dark probably didn't help her out." North answered, and York let out a little laugh.

"I was planning to leave after that mission, you know." York told North, who look at him incredulously. "I was gonna get through that mission, but _'not make it_ back', I was gonna do some heroic sacrifice, or something, ya' know. Then I was gonna help Tex on the outside, and break her in when she asked." He said, and North chuckled.

"Dude. She'd probably have to punch through the panel, rather than you unlocking the door." North laughed, and the other Freelancer joined him.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. I haven't been the _best_ at unlocking doors." York chuckled, and North spoke up again.

"You're far better than I could be. I wouldn't last two seconds with locks." North replied, and the two Freelancers fist-bumped. "Hey." North started up again, and York looked over at him.

"Yeah?" The other Freelancer replied. North sighed, and continued.

"Do you think we should tell Carolina?" The purple Freelancer asked, but only got a shrug in response from his tan-coloured friend. "I mean, we weren't good people. We didn't follow the law." North said, and York nodded.

"Yeah. I think we should. The truth may hurt, but it's always good to know." York responded, and smiled sadly. "I just don't know how she'll react when we tell her..." He said wistfully, staring into the distance, at the rising sun.

* * *

Ruby walked into the Beacon Forges, Carolina's helmet under her arm as she did. She grinned as she quickly headed over to a table, and dashed around the room, grabbing several handfuls of different tools. She grinned as she looked down at the aqua-coloured helmet that was placed on the table, and the picked up a small hand-drill.

* * *

 **In Chapter 5 of Remnant's Freelancers: Restored**

 **"The world was shocked by Sir Ozpin's official announcement of his resignation from his position as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy." The news reporter spoke into her microphone, and Ruby's eyes widened with shock.**

 **"What!" She let out a cry, her silver eyes watering. Her eyes widened more when the reported continued.**

 **"More News has just reached us. General James Ironwood, Headmaster of the Atlesian Academy has also announced that he is stepping down from his position." The reporter said, and Ruby looked at the screen with confusion.**

* * *

 **Uh oh. What was in _that_ preview. I wonder what could be happening. Oh no! God, I hope you enjoyed this Chapter and any others you happen to have read, and any more you will read. Anyway, remember that Constructive Criticism is always useful, Reviews are welcomed, and Keep Moving Forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Remnant's Freelancers: Restored**

* * *

 **Hey there. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Anyway, if you haven't, check out the prequel to this story, Remnant's Freelancers. And also check out one of my other stories, New Rose.**

* * *

The Freelancers headed slowly through the forest, their weapons held at the ready. Carolina looked at her HUD, and saw the orange blip blinking slowly on the radar, a few hundred feet away. The aqua-coloured Freelancer made a couple of hand gestures to the others, and they quickly moved up to the next set of trees, taking cover behind them.

"What do you think this thing's gonna be?" York looked over at Wash, who had suddenly began to speak. "I mean, it hasn't moved for the entire time we've been here." The steel-armoured Freelancer said, and York shrugged in response.

"I don't know, man. But let's go and find out." York replied, and their formation moved up again. Carolina put her arm up, her hand clasped into a fist. North looked at her confused, but Carolina left her hand there.

"I see it..." Carolina whispered, and the entirety of the team looked at her now. "Let's move up, weapons ready. Who knows what's here." She said, and the five of them left the trees, all with their weapons drawn, other than Carolina, who walked out calmly over to the object. "Well well well. What do we have here?" She muttered, and pulled out her scroll.

* * *

Ruby was in the forge, the welding torch in her hand was crackling away as she welded two long and thin pieces of metal together. Her pocket began to vibrate as her scroll rang, and she pulled it out. She stepped back from the large forge in front of her, and answered the call.

"Hello?" She asked, and she was greeted with the voice of Carolina.

"Hello Ruby. I have a question to ask you." Carolina told the red-clad huntress-in-training, who hummed.

"OK, uh... What is it?" Ruby replied, confusion filling her voice.

"Do you happen to know _anything_ about military aircraft?" The Freelancer asked, and Ruby nodded slowly, her face holding a look of confusion. "Good. I'm sending you our coordinates. Get her as fast as you can." Carolina told her, and ended the call. Ruby continued to look at her scroll for a few minutes before letting out a long sigh, and heading out of the forge.

* * *

Ruby looked out of the window as the car drove down the road, Weiss in the driver's seat. They didn't say a word to each other for the entire journey, and when Weiss slowed down, Ruby got out and waved goodbye to the white-haired heiress. She scratched her head, looking at the forest in front of her, and pulled out her scroll again.

"Hmm... OK, into the forest I go... I guess..." She muttered, and headed in.

* * *

"So how long do you think it is gonna take for her to get here?" Wash questioned, and North shrugged. "OK. Good." Wash said sarcastically, but nearly fell over when a rush of wind blew past him. "Goddamn it!" He said, pushing himself up from the tree.

"Hey guys!" Ruby called out, leaning on the large, metallic object that was in the middle of the clearing. "This the military aircraft, by any chance?" She joked, and Carolina nodded as she walked over to Ruby.

"So. What is it?" The Freelancer asked Ruby, who stood still, thinking for a moment. "Ruby? Ruby?" Carolina said, waving her hand in front of the dark-haired girl's face.

"Oh, right. This _looks_ like an old, really old Atlesian troop transport. But there have been quite a few modifications." Ruby informed the group, who all nodded slowly.

"But, does it still _fly_?" South asked her with an annoyed tone. Ruby hummed for a moment before replying to the question.

"Maybe, but it's doubtful. If it has enough dust left in it, then yes. Oh, and the engines aren't damaged too much." Ruby answered, and Carolina smiled.

"Good. Then let's get this baby airborne." The leading member of the Freelancers said, and headed into the aircraft.

"Wait! I'm not sure that's a good idea. Then again, it could be cool." Ruby backtracked herself, and followed the other Freelancers into the aircraft.

* * *

The engine whirred to life, and Carolina grinned under her helmet. York walked up next to her, looking over her shoulder at the controls. York looked at her, from the controls, and then looked back at the controls.

"Hey, those controls look pretty complicated. You sure you don't want D to handle it?" The tan-armoured Freelancer questioned, but Carolina shook her head slowly.

"I'm fine, York. I'll figure it out." She replied, York nodded and left the cockpit, leaving Carolina alone at the controls. Suddenly, a large holographic screen appeared in front of the Freelancer. She hummed in response, and pushed a button, which caused a notification to pop up on the screen, saying _'VTOL Fans Activated'_. "OK. Let's go..." She murmured, and the aircraft shuddered and shook as it lifted into the air.

* * *

"Woah. Guess she figured out how to use it, huh?" York said to the others, but got no reply. "Ruby, how fast can this thing go?" The tan-armoured Freelancer asked the red-clad girl.

"Uh... If this is the craft that I'm thinking of, probably... 140 metres per second." Ruby informed him, and he nodded slowly.

"Hey D, how fast is that in Miles per Hour?" He asked the logic fragment, who appeared next to his head.

"That is exactly 313.17108088762 Miles per Hour, Agent York." Delta answered, causing the Freelancer to gulp. Wash piped up fearfully from the other side of the aircraft.

"Uh, that's quite fast." Wash said worriedly, and Delta appeared next to the steel-coloured Freelancer.

"Yes, Agent Washington. It is approximately 0.4% the speed of sound." Delta continued, but York shouted at him.

"Stop! Stop! We get it! It's fast, D!" York cried out, and the AI disappeared. South muttered something inaudible under her breath, and the aircraft rocketed forward.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Wash shouted in despair, before a _'hurgk'_ was heard, and was threw his helmet off. Ruby shut her eyes and looked away as the vomit oozed off of the Freelancer's face.

"That's disgusting." Ruby grimaced, covering her eyes with her hands. York laughed at his friend, who sent glares in his direction.

"You're a goddamn asshole!" Wash shouted over the noise the aircraft was generating. York laughed even harder, and North joined him too. "I hate all of you!" He called again, and then the entirety of the cargo hold was laughing at the steel-coloured Freelancer. The door to the hold opened, and Carolina strolled out, her helmet under her arm.

"How are you guys holding up?" She questioned calmly, and all the heads turned to face her. "I put on auto-pilot." She explained, and the five that were seated let out sighs of relief. "So, my question. Answer now." Carolina ordered, and North spoke up.

"We're holding up fine... Well, most of us, anyway..." North said, and the hold burst into laughter again, leaving Carolina confused.

"What's so funny?" She asked, but got no reply, only a glare from Wash as York began to explain the story. York was halfway through the story when Carolina burst into laughter. Wash only shook his head, giving the other Freelancers particularly rude hand gestures.

"Fuck... You... All..." He groaned, but this didn't stop the aqua-coloured Freelancer from laughing hysterically at Wash.

* * *

Weiss looked at her scroll again, tapping her foot on the ground repeatedly. Pacing back and forth in her team's dorm room, she checked her scroll again, constantly awaiting a message from Ruby asking to be taken home from the forest she had been dropped off at by the white-haired heiress. The wind began to roar, and she shut the window, and took a seat on her bed.

"Where are you, Ruby..?" She muttered, ignoring the loud noise coming from the wind. Weiss jumped with shock as she heard a small tap on the window. "What the! _RUBY_?" Weiss shrieked at the large aircraft hovering outside the dorm room. Ruby gestured to the window, and the white-haired heiress dashed over to it, opening it up. "What is it Ruby!" She called to her partner above the rushing wind.

"Hi!" Is all that Ruby said before jumping into the room, crashing into Weiss before she realised what she had done. "Uh oh..." She muttered, and looked down at the heiress, who was still on the floor. "Um... _Oops_?" Ruby suggested to the girl, who stood up from the ground, red-faced.

"Uh! You complete _dolt_!What were you even _thinking_! You could have severely injured _either of us_!" Weiss berated the younger girl, who replied with nothing as she stared at the ground. "And where did you even get that..." Weiss trailed off, looking at the aircraft in thought. "That _thing_ anyway!" She finished, and Ruby shrugged, looking over at the craft.

"Hey. I gotta say goodbye to the Freelancers!" Ruby exclaimed, and disappeared again. After a minute, Ruby reappeared and waved back at the aircraft. "Bye guys! See you again!" She called out to them, and York walked to the open door, waved at her, and headed back into the aircraft.

"Why were you... Never mind..." Weiss muttered, shaking her head. "So, where did you get that plane?" She asked, and Ruby's face scrunched up.

"In the forest... Where you dropped me off..." She said slowly, she then smiled and nodded. "Yep. In the forest." She finished solidly, and Weiss looked at her before shaking her head.

"Well, I'm going to get lunch, come with me if you want to." She said, and the heiress walked out of the room, leaving Ruby.

"Actually I'm fine. I'll just stay here!" Ruby called back to her jokingly, turning on the TV. She groaned when she couldn't find the remote, and threw herself down on her bed. The screen changed suddenly, showing a _'Breaking News'_ screen. A female voice spoke up, but Ruby only sat still as she stared at the TV.

"The world was shocked by Sir Ozpin's official announcement of his resignation from his position as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy." The news reporter spoke into her microphone, and Ruby's eyes widened with shock.

"What!" She let out a cry, her silver eyes watering. Her eyes widened more when the reported continued.

"More news has just reached us. General James Ironwood, Headmaster of the Atlesian Academy has also announced that he is stepping down from his position." The reporter said, and Ruby looked at the screen with confusion. "Here is a small clip from Ironwood's resignation announcement." She said, and the TV screen once again changed.

 _"I know many of you will have questions, and I'll try to answer a few. I have spent many years of my life as this academy's headmaster, and I need a change of scenery. I'm heading back to Vale, returning to my homeland you could say. I intend to take up teaching there, maybe at a combat school."_ Ironwood said calmly, and the clip faded out of existence, returning the camera to the reporter.

"That was news on General James Ironwood's and Sir Ozpin's resignation announcements, stay tuned for more." The reporter commented, and the screen blinked off as Ruby felt tears welling in her eyes. She stood up from her bed, and dashed out of her dorm room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

 ** _Flashback Starts_**

 _The five Freelancers walked slowly down the alleyway, their weapons drawn and at the ready. They continued for a few minutes before stopping at a large building. Carolina nodded at York, who pushed the door open and revealed the inside._

 _"Is that..?" Wash began, but stopped when Carolina moved over to what Wash was staring at. None of the other Freelancers moved, but they kept looking over the shoulders._

 _"Wyoming." Carolina muttered, kneeling down in front of the silver armour. "North, come and take a look." Carolina called to the male twin, gesturing to him. He jogged over, slinging his weapon over his back, before crouching down to look at the unmoving armour. "He's dead, right?" She asked him, and he pulled the Freelancer upwards, leaning him against the wall._

 _"I'm no expert, but I'd say so. His AI and equipment are gone too. So are his guns, grenades, ammo. Pretty much everything other than the armour and the body are gone." North informed her, and she sighed as she looked at the body. "And, from what I can tell, he was probably beaten to death. No bullet or stab wounds." The darker-purple armoured Freelancer said, and Carolina looked back at Wyoming again._

 _"Poor Wyoming. Whatever happened to him, he didn't stand a chance..." She murmured to herself._

 ** _Flashback Ends_**

Carolina shook herself awake, sweat beading on her face, which she quickly wiped away. She sat up in her bed, scanning the room carefully and slowly before she lay back down, resting her head on the pillow.

"Get yourself together Carolina, it was just a dream..." She murmured to herself, and quickly fell back into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **And done! I don't have much to say here other than the usual. Anyway, Remember that Constructive Criticism is always useful, Reviews are Welcomed, and Keep Moving Forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Remnant's Freelancers: Restored**

* * *

 **Hi. Sorry that I haven't been posting, Writer's block can be kinda annoying at times, and a god damn nightmare at others. Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

The four member of Team RWBY were sat in their dorm, all completely silent. Ruby was lying down on her bed when her scroll began vibrate and ring from in her pocket, which caused her to jolt out of surprise before she pulled it out of her pocket and answered the call.

"Hello?" She said, and began to listen intently to the scroll. "Yep. OK, uh huh, right. Got it, see ya' there." Ruby informed the person who had called her, and she put her scroll away. Weiss looked over at her, with an eyebrow raised before speaking up.

"Ruby, who was it?" The heiress asked her leader, who grinned at her.

"Get ready guys, we're gonna go stop some bad guys!" Ruby informed them before dashing out of the room.

* * *

The two cars pulled up out side the Freelancers' building, and Teams RWBY and JNPR stepped out of the vehicles. Yang rapped noisily on the wooden door, and it opened to reveal the five Freelancers in each of their distinctive armour suits.

"Leave your cars here. We don't want to get noticed." Carolina ordered them, and Yang snorted before speaking.

"Says the girl in bright blue, seven foot tall, full body armour." The blonde commented, grinning at the Freelancer. Carolina over at Yang, and the blonde instantly shut her mouth.

"OK. Come on people, we're moving." The aqua Freelancer said, and they headed down into an alley.

* * *

Wash poked his head out of the alley, and looked over at the building. He made several different hand gestures, and he moved out of the alley with York following him. They quickly dashed across the road, their rifles in hand as they moved. The two Freelancers sneaked behind the building, and up behind a guard. York bashed his rifle on the back of the man's head, which caused the man to fall to the floor in a heap. Wash quickly searched the rest of the area, before walking back over to York.

"Area's clear." He informed the tan-coloured Freelancer, who nodded. "Not much guarding on the outside, guess they don't want to be suspicious." Wash commented, receiving another nod from York. Wash then put a hand to his ear, and spoke into the comms system.

* * *

 _"Carolina, the outside's all clear. We're ready for you to move up."_ Wash informed the Carolina, who looked over her shoulder at the remained ten members of their group. She grinned under her helmet, and nodded.

"Good to know, Wash." The aqua Freelancer replied, and turned to face the others. "Come on, let's move." She said, heading out of the alley with the others trailed out behind her slowly and carefully. They headed into the garden, and met up with Wash and York. "Did you notice anything interesting? Weak points, maybe?" She asked, but York shook his head and replied.

"I'm afraid not, it's just your bog standard house. Brick walls and glass windows, just the usual." York informed Carolina, but then Delta appeared next to him.

"Actually York, it appears that this building has undergone several advanced modifications." Delta replied, and York looked at him questioningly.

"Why didn't you tell me this _before_?" The lockpick asked, and Delta stayed silent. "Delta?" York asked again, and the green AI blinked.

"I do not know." Delta answered, which caused York to sigh. "The building's walls have been reinforced with steel panelling, camera and remote turret systems have been installed, and there are three floors below ground level." Delta said emotionlessly, and York stared at the hologram incredulously.

"You mentioned turrets. Where are they?" Carolina questioned, and the logic fragment's holographic image blinked again.

"They are located on the top, and two bottom floors. Cameras are located on all levels." Delta informed them, and York said nothing in response.

Jaune was laying in the grass, looking up at the starry night sky. Ren walked up to him, and looked down at the blonde boy.

"Are you OK, Jaune?" The calm boy asked his leader, who nodded.

"Just wondering how we've not been noticed yet." Jaune replied, and sat up. Ren stuck out his hand, which Jaune took and stood up. Carolina walked over to the group, and looked at them.

"Alright, we're going in." She said confidently, and the twelve of them headed over to the door, where York was slowly unlocking it. York threw his hands in the air with dismay, and looked over his shoulder.

"What're these fucking locks made of. All of my lockpicks keep breaking." York huffed angrily, and Ruby piped up from behind him.

"That's because you're using some of Yang's spare hair pins." Ruby told him, but York only grumbled as he got back to working on the door lock.

"Fuck it!" He exclaimed, and walking away from the door in frustration. "Fuck the goddamned doors on this planet." He muttered, and kicked it. This sent the door flying off of it's hinges. "Why're the locks stronger than the god forsaken _hinges_!" York cried out, and walked into the building angrily. The other walked in behind him, and they saw long hallway that had a spiral staircase at the end.

"What're we in? A mansion, what's with the spiral stairs?" Wash murmured under his breath, aiming his weapon as they progressed down the hallway, towards the stairs. When they reached the stairs, Ruby spoke up.

"OK. 'Lina and I have decided that we're gonna split up into three different groups, each led by one of our leaders." Ruby told them all quietly. "I will lead the group that takes the bottom two floors. Coming with me will be Blake, Nora and North." Ruby said, and moved away slightly, bring the other three members of her group with her.

"I'll be searching this floor, and the one below. We decided that the unlucky people being led by me are Pyrrha, South, Wash and Weiss." Jaune spoke quietly, and Weiss let out an almost inaudible groan. This left Carolina with Ren, Yang and York.

"Now we're done with _'planning'_ , let's get moving." Carolina ordered, and the three teams went their separate ways.

* * *

Carolina pushed the door to the top floor open, staying hidden behind the wall. York muttered something about doors under his breath, and Carolina looked at him, which sent the Freelancer into silence.

"Eta, Iota. I want a thermal scan of the area." Carolina whispered, and her visor changed instantly. "I see four men in the first room to the right." Carolina told them, and the moved up. "York and I will engage through the smoke, be ready to clean up after us, you two." Carolina informed Ren and Yang, who both nodded. "York, smoke 'em." Carolina ordered him, and the tan-coloured Freelancer grinned under his helmet as he pulled out a smoke grenade.

"Fire in the hole." He muttered as he pushed the door open, and tossed it into the room. "Moving." York muttered again, and the two Freelancers charged into the room with thermal vision enabled on their visors. Yang listened to the hard thuds and softer thumps coming from inside the dense smoke. As the smoke started to clear, Yang could begin to make out York sitting on top of one of the men with his helmet under his arm as Carolina continued to pummel the final enemy that was in the room. The aqua Freelancer looked down at York, who instantly put on his helmet and stood up. The two walked out of the room, and Yang spoke up.

"So, you find anything useful in there?" She asked them, but only got a _'really'_ looked from Carolina. "No? OK, never mind." She muttered, and looked at her feet.

"You know, there're only four rooms left. Do you think we could take 'em all at once?" York suggested, and Carolina paused for a moment.

"Maybe. But I'm sure that Yang could only handle a few of them." She joked, which caused the blonde huntress-in-training to perk up at the comment.

"Wha-. Hey, I could _handle_ just as much as you could." Yang replied, and Carolina looked at the blonde.

"What gives you _that_ idea?" The Freelancer ask Yang, who grinned.

"You seem to forget that _I'm_ the seventeen year old who managed to handle _you_ in hand to hand combat for almost five minutes. I'd be able to manage." The lilac-eyed brawler told Carolina confidently, her arms folded defiantly.

"OK. Split up, handle the rooms, return here." Carolina said, and the other three nodded. "Good, move out." She said, and the four split off from each other.

* * *

"D, where are the turrets you spoke about?" York asked, and Delta appeared in front of him.

"The only turrets installed on this floor are in the room that Miss Xiao Long entered." Delta answered, and York sighed in relief.

"Good, no fighting turrets for me. I'm fine with that." He muttered, and scanned the room with his weapon. "Huh, guess no one's worried about this room." York thought aloud, as he finished searching the empty room. He booted up his comms, and spoke into it.

"Hey, Carolina. No one in my room, moving to meeting point." York said, and headed out of the room, but almost walked into Ren and Carolina who were both at the meeting point too. "Uh, no one in your rooms too?" York asked worriedly, and they both nodded. "OK... Should we help Yang?" York questioned, and then headed over to the final room, only to find it locked. "God dammit..." The tan-armoured Freelancer cursed, and Carolina looked at him confusedly.

"What is it?" She questioned, and he turned to face her.

"It's locked." He replied, and she looked into his eyes,

"Then _un_ lock it." The aqua-coloured team leader ordered him, but he only put his hands in the air.

"I can't. This door's reinforced, and the I can't use my lockpicks, as they're _all broken_." He emphasised, and Carolina sighed. "What, I'm sure Yang'll be fine." He said, but Carolina shook her head. "OK, seriously. What is it?" York asked her, and Carolina looked at the door.

"Well, by my count. There's at least twenty one heat signatures in there, and only one is Yang." Carolina told him, and York's eyes widened under his helmet.

* * *

 **In Chapter 7 of Remnant's Freelancers: Restored**

 **"I have the worst luck." Jaune groaned as he blocked an attack with his shield. He looked over at South and Weiss, fighting back to back as they held off a seemingly infinite amount of hostile soldiers. Over his shoulder, Wash spotted Jaune, and above the blonde was a glowing red blade.**

 **"Jaune! Look out!" Wash called out from across the room, and Jaune rolled to his side, knocking the sword out of one of their enemies hands. Wash swapped his rifle to his sword as three of the soldiers closed in on him. Pyrrha was stood in the middle of the room, calmly holding off a dozen enemies at once, forcing most away from her with her semblance.**

 **"Pyrrha! Duck!" Jaune shouted to her, and she followed his order. The blonde jumped over the red-headed Amazon, tucking into a roll afterwards whilst slashing at their enemies.**

* * *

 **And done. Did you enjoyed that, because I have a lot more planned. Also, please tell me what I'm doing well and what I need to improve. However, comments which are pure hate shall be ignored. Anyway, Remember that Constructive Criticism is always useful, Reviews are Welcomed, and Keep Moving Forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Remnant's Freelancers: Restored**

* * *

"Huh, it's just an empty room." Jaune commented as they headed into the first floor that was below ground level. However, he quickly noticed a large terminal at the far side of the room, and rushed over to it. "Hey Wash, come over here!" Jaune called to the steel-coloured Freelancer, who jogged over to him.

"What is it?" He asked the blonde, who pointed at the computer terminal. "Yeah, what about the huge computer?" Wash questioned, and Jaune smiled.

"Let's see what they've been up to." Jaune said, and Wash nodded, pulling his AI chip from his helmet and pushing it into the computer. Epsilon's hologram appeared on the screen, seemingly delighted.

"Wow! This... Is... _Awesome_!" Epsilon exclaimed joyfully, his image spinning around on the many screens. "It's so roomy, I feel like I have a whole _world_ to myself!" He said, but Wash sighed in response.

"Epsilon, concentrate. Look for anything of use. Messages, records, anything that can give us the whereabouts of their worldwide HQ." Wash told the AI, who instantly stopped what he was doing and followed Wash's order. After a few minutes, Epsilon spoke up.

"OK. From what I've been able to tell they _don't_ have a worldwide HQ, but these guys are mainly based in Atlas. The majority of their recorded manpower is there. And-" Epsilon informed them, and stopped halfway through his sentence.

"And what? What is it?" Wash questioned the silent memory fragment, who's image on the screen turned to face Wash. "Epsilon, I need an answer." Wash demanded, and Epsilon groaned quietly.

"It turns out that these guys aren't as stupid as they seem." Epsilon told the Freelancer, who looked at the AI questioningly.

"What do you mean?" Wash asked, and Epsilon brought up a map of the floor they were on. "Epsilon, what is that map?" Wash said worriedly, grabbing his weapon from his back.

"That. Is map of the very floor you're standing on. And it appears that there are multiple hidden rooms on this level... And me force-connecting with the terminal may have triggered a silent alarm, _and_ there appears to be a large amount of unidentified heat signatures gathering at the doors." Epsilon informed him, and Wash looked over his shoulder at the others.

"Uh, guys. Get ready to hold off some hostiles." Wash called to them, and South looked at him in confusion.

"What!" She shouted back, and several parts of the walls slid open. "Oh that's just _great_..." South muttered under her breath, readying her weapons.

* * *

Ruby and her group walked down the corridor, their weapons drawn. Ruby nodded to the door, and pushed it open. Blake and Nora rushed in, and were followed by Ruby and North.

"All clear, Miss Leader Ma'am!" Nora said joking, Magnhild resting on her shoulder. Ruby looked around the room, holding Crescent close to her in it's rifle form. "Where are we moving next, Leader Ma'am!" Nora exclaimed, and Ruby shushed her. "Oh, sorry." Nora whispered in response, in an almost inaudible fashion, which caused Ruby to bring her hands to her face. The proceeded to search the rest of the rooms, taking out a couple or automated turrets.

"Man, we haven't found a thing." Ruby said, and Blake nodded slowly. "The others _must_ be doing better than we are." Ruby groaned as she shot at the final turret in the room.

* * *

"God. The others must be doing _much_ better than we are..." York said tiredly as he lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling out of boredom. "You think Yang's doing OK?" The tan Freelancer asked the other two, but only got a shrug from Carolina in response. "I don't know why I even asked..." York muttered quietly, sitting up and looking at the door. "I bet the other's are having better luck than we are, we're not doing _anything_!" York exclaimed in annoyance, throwing himself back onto the floor.

* * *

"I have the worst luck." Jaune groaned as he blocked an attack with his shield. He looked over at South and Weiss, fighting back to back as they held off a seemingly infinite amount of hostile soldiers. Over his shoulder, Wash spotted Jaune, and above the blonde was a glowing red blade.

"Jaune! Look out!" Wash called out from across the room, and Jaune rolled to his side, knocking the sword out of one of their enemies hands. Wash swapped his rifle to his sword as three of the soldiers closed in on him. Pyrrha was stood in the middle of the room, calmly holding off a dozen enemies at once, forcing most away from her with her semblance.

"Pyrrha! Duck!" Jaune shouted to her, and she followed his order. The blonde jumped over the red-headed Amazon, tucking into a roll afterwards whilst slashing at their enemies. Jaune took a quick glance over at Wash, who had started conversing with his AI again as he fought off the horde of soldiers.

"Epsilon, find a way to shut those doors!" Wash shouted, diving over a slow slash from a sword. "And do it quickly!" He cried out, narrowly avoiding another blade.

"What do you _think_ that I'm doing!" The memory fragment shouted back at the Freelancer, but it fell on deaf ears. "Come on, come on, come on..." The AI muttered, searching through the terminal's abilities. "No. No. No. No. N-Wait. Wait! Yeah! Got it!" Epsilon shouted to Wash, who nodded as he watched the walls began to close again. The walls shuddered to a halt, only halfway through closing. "No! No. Uh, hang on a minute!" The fragment called out again, and he began to frantically began to scan the doors. "The controls have been overridden! They're on the top floor!" Epsilon told Washington, who sighed before activating his comms.

"Carolina. There some doors down here that need closing. But the controls have been overridden, and apparently the override console is on the top floor somewhere. Probably the main room." Wash informed Carolina and her group, and York buzzed from over the line.

 _"Yeah, about that."_ York replied, and Wash kicked someone away from himself. _"The main room's locked, with no way of getting in. The only person in there is Yang."_ The tan-coloured Freelancer informed Wash, who groaned as he parried a sword blade.

"Son of a bitch. Do you have anyway of contacting her!" Wash shouted above the noise of gunfire and clashing blades. "York!" Wash called again, and York responded that time.

 _"Scratch what I just said, Wash. The door's just opened up, we'll find your override console. Agent New York, over an' out."_ York ended, and disappeared off the comms channel.

* * *

"Scratch what I just said, Wash. The door's just opened up, we'll find your override console. Agent New York, over an' out."York ended, and disappeared off the comms channel. Carolina looked at him as they entered the large, main room.

"What was the _'Agent New York'_ bit about?" She asked, and York shrugged nonchalantly. "OK, good to know." The aqua Freelancer joked about York's silent answer, which caused him to chuckle.

"There's no sign that anyone was here, there must be another way outta here." York said as he looked around the room for Yang.

"Found it." Ren said bluntly, pushing a small piece of the floor to reveal a hole down to the lower level.

"Huh. Guess they went down there. You two go find Yang, I'mma find Wash's console." York said, and Carolina looked at him with curiosity.

"You sure, York." She asked, and he nodded to the hole, telling her to follow Ren, who had already dropped through.

"Good luck." He said, waving her down.

* * *

The five members of Jaune's group were all in a circle, firing outwards at the unending swarm of enemies pouring out of the door.

"Why do they have so many men!" Weiss cried out, bring up a glyph to protect her from a hail of bullets flying towards her. Wash looked at the doors, and then spoke on the comms again.

"York! Status!" Wash barked into the comms channel, and York spoke up.

 _"D's interfacing with the console now, should take a couple'a minutes more, four minutes at max."_ York informed Wash, who grunted as he butted one of the soldiers around the face.

"We may not _have_ a couple of minutes, let alone _four_!" Wash shouted at the other Freelancer, who then muttered something inaudible.

 _"Fine, fine. I'll do my best to help you guys down there, but no promises."_ The tan Freelancer said, and large amounts of clicking could then be heard coming from York's comms. _"Hey, your problem may be sorted!"_ York informed Wash, who looked over at the doors again, and they once again began to close.

"Oh thank God..." Washington muttered under his breath, and York grinned.

 _"Yes, I am God, thank you very much."_ The Freelancer joked with Wash, who groaned at York.

"Get off the comms now." Wash said coldly, and York laughed before leaving the comms channel. "York's got the doors closed." Wash told the others, and South looked over at him.

" _Really_ , thanks for the update asshole." South replied angrily, ducking under a swing before she kicked the man in the stomach, sending him flying into a number of other enemies. "What're you gonna tell us next, that we're fighting hundreds criminals in a hundred foot room?" South told him, and Wash sighed.

"No, I'll just shut up now." Wash replied, shooting at the group of enemies that were charging at him.

* * *

Pyrrha kicked the final enemy over, and then kicked him in the head. The five of them looked at each other, and Jaune wiped the sweat off of his brow.

"Well then. That was... Fun?" The blonde boy suggested as he sat on the floor.

"Wash, Jaune. Get over here!" Epsilon called to them, and Jaune groaned as he stood up again. The two blondes headed over to the terminal, where Epsilon was still connected.

"What is it?" Wash asked Epsilon, who brought up a map of Remnant. "Stop it with the maps." Wash groaned, but Epsilon left the map on the screen.

"I found something. This terminal is acting as a relay for a signal, it's being sent to all their base locations. But, that isn't where it gets interesting. This signal originates in the middle of the ocean, not far off the coast of Mistral, and started from one hundred metres below surface level. The transmission is in some code, but I have it. _'GADGGDGFDGAAADDGAGAFFAGADDFGGAGDGGGFXAGXGAGAADGGDDGGDGXADFFFFGGAXDGFFA'_ " Epsilon spoke quickly, and Wash's face slowly got more confused.

"Do you have any idea what the transmission means?" Jaune asked, a curious look on his face.

"Not yet, but give me time and I can figure it out." The AI answered, and Jaune shrugged, and he sat down once again.

* * *

Ruby and her group descended another level, and saw a long, wide corridor with several doors on either side, and a door at the end. They slowly but surely clear out all of the rooms, many of them empty, seemingly abandoned. They came to the final door, and Ruby reached for the handle, but she jumped back when the door shook violently. The four of them moved away from the door, which was being rammed into by someone on the other side. They waited in a room nearby, and they heard the door clatter to the floor as it was blown off of it's hinges by the unknown force. Ruby peaked her head out of the room she was hidden in, and saw that the room the door had been was completely engulfed in flames. She looked down, and saw soot footprints had been left on the floor. The fires in the room instantly went out, and she saw a person collapsed on the floor. Her eyes widened when she realised who it was, and she rushed up to the figure.

"Yang!" Ruby cried out in fear, kneeling next to her injured sister. Yang was lying on the floor, her body covered in cuts and small amounts of blood. "Yang. Yang Yang Yang Yang Yang..." Ruby muttered worriedly, tending to the wounds on her sister. Yang's eyes fluttered open slightly, and the blonde girl coughed as she tried to sit up, but Ruby stopped her. "No, Yang. You're injured, lie down." Ruby whispered to her older sister, who only responded by doing as Ruby said. "That's right. You'll be OK, hey North, can you pick her up for me." Ruby said, with her eyes watering, and North smiled slightly.

"Sure thing, Kiddo." North replied quietly, walking over to the two sisters, and he picked the blonde huntress-in-training up from the floor, and took her out of the room, with Ruby trailing behind him.

* * *

Jaune noticed Ruby and her group walk into the room, and his eyes instantly went to Yang. He stood up, and ran over to Ruby, who was stood next to Yang as North placed the blonde girl on the floor.

"Ruby, what happened?" Jaune asked the red-clad girl, who said nothing, she only stared at Yang with tears welling in her eyes.

"I don't know... We were on the bottom floor... She shouldn't have been there. She should have been with Carolina..." Ruby murmured, tears now rolling down her cheeks as she stared at her sister. Jaune looked at Ruby, and wrapped the girl in a hug.

"Shh... It's OK... It's fine, she's gonna be fine..." Jaune comforted Ruby, who continued to sob into his chest. North walked away from the three of them, and spoke on the comms.

"Carolina, it's North. We found Yang on the bottom floor, we're currently on the first floor below ground." North voiced over the comms channel.

* * *

Carolina looked up from the ground in surprise, and replied to the purple Freelancer.

"We're coming North. Any idea how she got there. We thought she was on the ground floor, not that far down." Carolina replied, but got no response for a minute. "North? Are you there?" She asked again, and a click could be heard through the comms.

 _"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was talking with Theta. Uh, no. We got to the room, and someone was trying to escape. Whoever they were, they got away fast, and left Yang there."_ North told her, as the three members of her group proceeded down the stairs. Carolina walked into the room, and saw Yang lying on the floor surrounded by all of the others. Carolina knelt down behind Ruby, and placed a hand on the youngest member's shoulder.

"Are you OK?" The aqua-coloured Freelance asked Ruby, who nodded slowly, but the tears on her face betrayed her. "Ruby, don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine." Carolina said, and then looked at Yang, who's eyes were open very slightly. "God dammit Xiao Long. I thought you said you could handle them." Carolina told Yang, who's eyes began to flutter open more.

"Uh... You only took four... I took... I took a couple'a dozen... Better than what... Better than what you did this... This time..." Yang groaned, her lilac eyes trailed over all of the people around her. "Hey guys... How ya' doin'?" Yang smiled at them, giving them a thumbs up before falling unconscious again.

"Come on. Some grab the blonde, then we can go." Carolina ordered, and North walked back over to Yang.

"Sleep tight, Kid." He told her as he picked her up once again.

* * *

The group arrived at the Freelancers' building, and rushed Yang inside to check on her. They took the girl upstairs, but Ruby stayed down and curled up on one of the sofas. Weiss and Jaune stayed to comfort the younger girl, who was sobbing into the pillows.

"Ruby. Yang will be fine. She's not a baby, she can take of herself." Weiss said softly sitting next to the fearful girl. "If there's anyone who can take abnormal amounts of physical pain, it's your sister." Weiss comforted her, and looked over at Jaune. "Could you please help!" She mouthed to Jaune, who replied quickly.

"I don't know! You know her better than I do." He mouthed back, and Weiss sighed, wrapping her arm around Ruby, and bringing her into a tight hug. Ruby sniffled, and rubbed her face into Weiss' shoulder.

"Ruby, listen to me. There's no need for fear or worry. Yang's the strongest person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, I'm one hundred percent certain that she'll come walking down those stairs soon. Don't you worry." She whispered to the girl, who sniffed again, and let her tears roll down her face and onto the white-haired girl's shoulder, and fell silent.

"Weiss... I think she's asleep..." Jaune whispered to her, which caused the heiress to look at Jaune, and glare at him. "Yeah, I guess you noticed." Jaune muttered, and watched as Weiss laid Ruby back down on the sofa.

"Have a nice sleep, Ruby... I think you need it..." Weiss murmured, and stood up from the sofa. "I'm going to check on Yang." Weiss said calmly and quietly, and climbed the stairs. Jaune glanced at Ruby, and smiled sadly.

"Good night Ruby..." He whispered, and followed Weiss upstairs.

* * *

 **The cipher for the Code is the German _'ADFGX'_ cipher. The custom cipher version I used is like this.**

 **X  
A _e_  
D _k_  
F _p_  
G _u_  
X _z_**

 **And the keyword for the cipher is _'RWBY'_.**

 **Another Chapter done already! Why, because I could, that's why. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this Chapter, as it was longer than normal. Remember that Constructive Criticism is always useful, Reviews are Welcomed, and Keep Moving Forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Remnant's Freelancers: Restored**

* * *

Yang held her hands to her head as she sat up, but she was gently pushed back down. The blonde brawler opened her eyes, and saw all of the others standing around her.

"Ugh... What happened..." Yang groaned, and the other exchanged glances.

"Well. We were kind of hoping _you_ could tell _us_ that." Weiss' voice replied. And Yang shook her head to wake herself.

"Last I remember... I joked with Carolina about taking on more than her..." Yang told her, and then North spoke up.

"Whatever happened to you, it happened _before_ what you just mentioned." North informed her, and Yang's face scrunched in concentration.

"Uh... I uh... I don't know..." Yang sighed in defeat, and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. "I don't remember..." She sighed again, and closed her eyes sadly.

"It's OK Yang. But... You're going to need to stay in bed for a few days. I've managed for you to get almost a week off school, so make the most if you recover quickly." Carolina spoke up, her arms folded over her chest. "However. I can't say the same for your team. So you're going to be here without them. But the we'll be here." She told Yang, who smiled and nodded with gratitude.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Yang replied, and Carolina smiled under her helmet. She looked at her team-mates and friends, all present other than her sister, and she looked around the room more. "Where's Ruby?" Yang questioned with confusion, then Jaune spoke.

"Asleep on the sofa downstairs. She was tired from all the worrying she was doing about you. She's been there all day, sleeping on and off." He said, and Weiss spoke up.

"She's been there since last night, actually." She butted in, and Yang groaned.

"She, of all people. Should that I'll be OK." Yang muttered, and sighed for a third time.

"Well. I think we should get going. Professor Goodwitch is going to ask us a lot of questions." Pyrrha said, and the six huntsman and huntresses-in-training left the room.

"Get well soon, Kiddo." North told Yang, and he left the room, and was soon followed by the other four Freelancers.

* * *

The three members of Team RWBY exited the car, and Weiss locked it behind her. They headed to their dorm room, Ruby leaning tiredly on Blake. The heiress pushed their dorm room door open, and Blake helped Ruby onto her top bunk, and the red-clad team-leader instantly fell into another deep sleep.

"Is she OK?" Blake asked Weiss, who looked up at Ruby, and shrugged.

"I don't know. But I'm sure that she'll be fine. If not, we can always take her to the in-" Weiss started, but was interrupted by Professor Goodwitch's voice erupting throughout the building.

"Would all students report to the Amphitheatre. All students to the Amphitheatre." The teacher's voice sounded over the intercom, and the two girls looked at each other.

"Ruby. Ruby, get up, we have to go to the Amphitheatre. Right now." Weiss called to Ruby whilst she changed into her uniform, and Ruby sat up in her bed.

"Uh... What... Amphitheatre... Fine..." Ruby groaned, and she climbed down from her bed, and lethargically got changed into her school uniform.

"Come on." Blake said, and walking out of the room. "Let's go." She finished, and they followed her to the Amphitheatre.

* * *

Glynda walked onto the stage, and spoke into the microphone.

"Good morning students. As you all know, Professor Ozpin resigned from his position as this Academy's headmaster. And yesterday, we hired his... Replacement. Welcoming your new headmaster... General James Ironwood." Glynda sighed as she finished her sentence, and walked off from the microphone as General Ironwood headed out from behind the curtain.

"Good morning. I'm sure you are all well. I am _extremely_ honoured to be teaching such a prestigious academy, which creates Huntsman and Huntresses of the highest calibre. I am sure that you feel the same. I am sure I shall meet many of you, and I hope that I am able to continue Sir Ozpin's high standards. You are dismissed." He said, and the students began to disperse. Team RWBY began to walk back to their dorm room, and chatted among themselves.

"So. What do you think about General Ironwood being our new Headmaster?" Weiss asked the other two, and Blake shrugged before answering.

"I don't know how I feel. I just hope it doesn't become too... What would be the word... Militarised." Blake replied, and Ruby spoke up tiredly.

"I think it's pretty cool... But he seemed off... Like Ozpin did on the first day too..." Ruby spoke groggily, and yawned after she finished her sentence.

"Let's just get you back to bed. I think you need it." Weiss told Ruby, and the three of them headed back to their dorm room.

* * *

Carolina walked into the headmaster's office, and saw the General sat in the main chair.

"Ah, Miss Carolina. Please, take a seat." Ironwood said commandingly, and Carolina complied. "Now. Ozpin never _truly_ explained who you were. Just that you were teaching the new hand-to-hand combat class. Is that much true?" The General asked her, and she nodded. "Good. Now, what do you _really_ do? I already know that you are one of the five soldiers who stopped several kidnappings last year. And I know that the armour you wear into battle is like nothing that has ever been created." Ironwood said to her, and she did nothing. "This is not an interrogation. I'm not going to use any information against you. I protect this world, and merely wish to know if I could use any new technology or tactics to do it more efficiently.

"My group and I are a part of a secret military project, based a long way away from here. We were given the best training and equipment the project could afford. The armour is a part of the package." Carolina told him, and he smiled slightly.

"And where would this project be based?" He asked, ignoring her statement. The aqua-coloured Freelancer sighed.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She replied, and Ironwood raised an eyebrow. "From what we can tell. We're in a different galaxy, or even a different _universe_ to where we started." Carolina informed him, and he looked at her in confusion.

"A different universe. Do you have any idea how that could be possible?" He asked, and she shook her head before replying to his question.

"No. The last time we were some where other than this planet, we were fighting members of an Insurrection in a skyscraper. Then, I believe, it exploded and after that, we were here." She told him, and he nodded slowly as he pulled out his scroll.

"So. Would you happen to recognise this." He said, and showed her an image of Agent Maine's armour.

"Ye-Yes. Where did you see that?" She asked him, and he closed his scroll.

"My military recently infiltrated a base in Atlas, it was being operated by a criminal organisation known as the Children of Onyx. We believe that they have this armour locked in their mobile headquarters." Ironwood informed her Carolina, and she nodded.

"We'll get it." The Freelancer told him bluntly, and he looked at her in confusion.

"Excuse me?" He asked her, and she said it again.

"We'll get it back. You don't want that armour in the wrong hands. I volunteer my team and myself to retrieve that suit." Carolina said professionally, and Ironwood nodded.

"As you wish. You shall depart tomorrow. However, this is not an official mission, so you'll need a cover. I'm thinking that it'll be you're guarding a group of students on an away trip to Atlas." Ironwood said, and Carolina grinned.

"OK. I have just the people. Teams RWBY and JNPR." She told him, and he nodded.

"Very well, I shall have the team leaders informed. You are dismissed." He said, saluting the Freelancer, who returned the gesture before leaving the General alone.

* * *

 **Hi there. Sorry this chapter took so long to upload, I didn't have any ideas for this part of the story. But it here now, and I hope you enjoyed. Also, if you have figured out the coded message in the previous chapter, don't write it in the reviews. Anyway, Remember Constructive Criticism is always useful, Reviews are Welcomed, and Keep Moving Forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


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